Fitness: The Missing Element In Emergency Preparedness

Questions help clarify the steps needed to reach your desired outcome. Some dangers are obvious. A hurricane or an earthquake for example. A heart attack, a car accident or fire are easy to recognize.

How about your dog losing consciousness? What if your dog ate your homework? Does a missing caterer on the day of a wedding constitute an emergency? What if you lost your cell phone on an important business trip with all your contact information?

The nature of an emergency depends on your situation and your perception. Having an earthquake survival kit will help you as much in a wedding disaster as having the cell phone numbers of your caterer’s entire family in case of an earthquake – that is to say no help at all.

Based on the area you live and your circumstances, you could, with a little bit of time, research and thought have a contingency plan to deal with potential crises.

Some common threads run through all emergencies regardless of your situation. These common threads are your lifeline and keeping them in top shape will help you under all conditions.

A part of being prepared is practicing using the equipment you depend on in case of an emergency. We often think of checklists, kits, and supplies, and we neglect the top two primary tools we must have and must be able to use effectively in case of an emergency.

The first is a calm and clear mind, and the second is a body that could respond well to our mind. Practicing the steps that help you remain calm and keeping the body fit so that it can move well are necessary for all emergency conditions.

As we get older, we need to work a little harder at both. Maintaining and in some cases gaining fitness over 50 should be part of our emergency preparation kits.

The interesting part of this process is that mental acuity and physical fitness are the only tools that will serve you in every aspect of life. Their use is not limited to just emergency situations. Are you familiar with the components of physical fitness over 50?